Undeniable Attraction
by impalame
Summary: REDONE! Mira Johnson had been friends with him since day one. It had always been one way: jokes, secrets, laughter. But when did this happen? How did this happen? Where did this undeniable attraction for Sirius Black come from? Sirius/OFC * MarauderEra
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! I'm impalame. Thanks for showing interest in my story! A few of you might recognize the title. I'm working off an old story I started a while ago, which I saw needed lots of improvement. For those of you that have read the old 'Undeniable Attraction', don't use that as a kick-off. I've deleted, added, changed, modified… you get the idea. Basically it's a whole new story, but I kept the main character. **

**This will be a Sirius/OFC story (WOOHOO)! I just love Sirius Black… don't you? Anyways, there will also be some Lily/James and Remus/OFC, as well as whatever else I come up with. **

**I'm really motivated by nice comments, and I welcome constructive criticism too. But please, no flames. If you don't like the story, move on. Don't take up precious air to fume at me while writing a nasty review. That doesn't benefit anyone. **

**So, without further adieu, I present to you… (tee-hee, that rhymed!) **

**Undeniable Attraction**

Prologue

Blackness shrouded the tiny room, hiding its lifeless inhabitants in darkness. A thin, oddly-shaped figure stood in the corner, and a shorter squatter outline at the foot of the bed. A few colourful, little personalities were scattered along the walls. And in the center of it all a much more human figure slept, unaware of the world around her. Tucked snugly under the embrace of a giant purple blanket, a tiny body squirmed as alertness began to creep into her mind. Little did she know, a more lively person was about to kick that process into high gear.

"Mira! Time to get up, dear! We have to leave in an hour!"

The tiny figure in the bed stirred, feeling the comforting fog of sleep ebbing away, and moaned quietly to herself. Sleep never lasted long enough. It took a lifetime to fall asleep when her mind was buzzing with so much excitement, and it took only a second for reality to come crashing down on her.

And crash down it did.

The girl, Mira Johnson, shot up into a sitting position, looking around the room frantically. It couldn't have been morning _already_. The bedroom, still bathed in darkness, gave no hint or suggestion of dawn, yet the delectable scent of blueberry pancakes wafted up from the kitchen below. Not a single ray of sunlight had broken through the veil of the window curtains, which had been securely closed due to the lighting show the previous night. And not a sound could be heard from the world outside, not even the tiniest chirp from a bird.

Needing to know for sure, Mira hopped out of her bed and stumbled over to the widow. She pulled back the curtain, only to squeeze her eyes shut and turn away from the sudden luminous attack. Even for the morning, this was unusually bright. But Mira had no time to ponder this because it was, in fact, morning., which meant that she needed to get ready.

She shuffled across the room to the foot of her bed, where the immense outline had been. Now lit up in the radiant morning sun, the object could now be identified as a large, open truck, which was home to various clothing items and books. Laying innocently in stark contrast to the mess next to it, was a small stack of neatly folded clothes and a pair of petite, black ballet flats.

Mira picked up the pre-made bundle and quickly got dressed. After taking off her pyjamas, she slid a pair of comfy, blue jeans on and pulled her arms through a tidy, white-collared shirt. Mira buttoned up the front of her shirt before slipping on her shoes and proceeding towards the floor length mirror (the other formerly unidentifiable object) in the corner of her room.

As she gazed into the mirror, Mira began to take all aspects into account. Even at eleven years old, Mira was aware of her body image, but not at all in a negative way. For instance, she was aware that she was extremely skinny. Mira didn't look on this as a problem, her mother too was a very skinny woman, but was one of the most health-conscious people Mira knew. Another, was her numerous, endless amount of freckles. Unlike most people, Mira loved her freckles because they too, were just like her mother's. They were kisses from the sun, Mira's mother told her. Her blonde hair was another attribute, and besides the fact that it was dead-straight, Mira loved it too. Her nose was small, her ears weren't overly large, and her lips were thin and pink. But if Mira had to pick one thing about herself that she _didn't_ like, it would be her eyes. They were green, just plain old green, which was nothing like her father's beautiful hazel orbs.

Mira turned away from the mirror with a smile and began to toss things into her truck. She was supposed to have packed the night before, and she had, but in her boredom she'd begun to pull things out again. One of which was a book, _Basic Spells for Beginners by Sharon Spellworth_, which she quickly grabbed from her desk and threw into the mess.

Once her trunk was secure, Mira left her room and headed down the stairs for breakfast. She passed quite a few family portraits on her way to the kitchen, smiling towards the most recent. Now that all of her children were heading off to school, Mrs. Johnson wanted something to be able to look at to see her children. So, weeks earlier, she'd taken the entire family to get a picture done. Unfortunately for her, it did not go as smoothly as she'd hoped.

In the portrait, Mira's mother was frowning with disapproval, while her father tried to physically prevent an impending fight. On either side of him, were Mira's two older brothers, who shared the same look of aggravation. And then there was Mira, doing her best to hold back the giggles that were screaming for escape.

Just as she was recollecting the events that followed, Mira heard a commotion from the kitchen. She made her way carefully down the stairs and walked to the kitchen, where complete chaos was unravelling before her.

"What have I told you both about playing with that snitch? Not in the house!" Mary Johnson chided as calmly as possible.

"Oh, come on, mum," said a boy from the breakfast bar. Kevin was a fourth year at school and the stockier of Mira's two brothers. His blonde hair was cut short - to prevent distraction while playing quidditch - and his green eyes twinkled with mischievousness. "You know we'd never do anything seriously dangerous! Right, Eli?"

Mira's other brother, Elijah, was a third year at their school. He was taller that Kevin, and a tad gangly. His long arms weren't much good for sports, which is most likely why he turned to books. Elijah loved to read, most of the books they had in their family library were either his, or their father's. Elijah's hair was blonde as well, but shaggier and uncut. His eyes were hazel, an exact copy of her father's.

"Right, mum," Eli answered. "At least not intentionally…"

Mary scowled gently at her sons, before smiling at her daughter. Mira was thankful that she was a miniature version of her mother because it meant that she inherited the same 'light up the room' smile.

"Mira, there you are, sweetheart," Mary Johnson said. "Your breakfast is on the table. Have you packed all your things?"

"Yes, mum," Mira answered as she sat down at the table. She dug right into her breakfast, trying to memorize the heavenly taste of her mother's blueberry pancakes, which would be sorely missed once she went to school.

"Good morning, oh sweet sister of mine!"

Mira glance up at Kevin, who was grinning back at her with that twinkle. Danger was abroad; call it a little sister's intuition.

"Ready for school?" he asked, faking innocence.

Not quite sure what to expect, Mira knotted her eyebrows together. "Yes. Why?"

Kevin shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "No reason," he told her. Then he added, "It's just a shame though."

"What's a shame?"

He looked at her sadly. "Well, all that beautiful hair…," he commented as he patted her head sorrowfully.

Mira's eyes widened slightly. "What about my hair? Eli?"

Eli just shook his head with a grin before turning back to his breakfast.

Seeing no help there, Mira turned back to Kevin. "What're they going to do to my hair?" she asked in a panicky voice.

"It's just a few inches Mira, I swear," Kevin assured her.

"They're going to cut my hair!"

Kevin looked at her seriously and said, "You're lucky you're not going to be put in Slytherin. Then they'd have to shave it all off…"

"MUM!"

Mary turned from her place at the stove-top with a sweet smile on her face. "Kevin, stop teasing your poor sister. She's nervous enough as it is. Mira, honey, they won't cut your hair. And it's not good for you to believe everything this one says," she told her, pointing towards Kevin who was grinning with pride.

Mira went back to her meal with a scowl on her face, which didn't disappear until her mother turned to them.

"We'd better leave now. Don't want to be late for Mira's first day," she said.

Smiling, Mira jumped up from her seat and ran to her bedroom, bounding up the stairs. When she entered she ran straight to her bedside table and opened the drawer. Inside was a slim, black box with gold lettering on the side which read '_Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382BC._' Mira opened the box and picked up the wand that lay inside; her wand. It was made of holly, twelve inches, with a unicorn hair core. The crazy, old man who owned the wand shop, Mr. Ollivander, said it was good for charm-work. That'd only made Mira more excited.

She grabbed her trunk and heaved it with all her might, and managed to get it out the door. When Eli saw her struggling with it down the stairs, he went up to help her. He always was the helpful brother.

"Merlin, Mira! What've you got in here?" he exclaimed when they reached the bottom step.

Mira shrugged. "Just some books and clothes. Oh, and my potions supplies of course! I was amazed that it fit in there…"

"Huh," Eli huffed as he finally set her trunk at the door, sounding not all that interested.

"Ready to go, sweetheart?" Mira's mother asked as she pulled on her coat.

Mira nodded with a grin. "Yes, mum," she answered.

Mary Johnson smiled and ushered her children out the door with their things and towards the car. It was beginning to spit rain outside and the sky was clouded over, but it may as well have been sunny. Mira was too happy to notice anyways.

The trip to King's Cross station was a noisy one, what with Kevin and Elijah arguing and Mira chatting excitedly to her mother. They were only a few more minutes away when Kevin asked, "Mum, is Dad still at the Ministry?"

"Yes," Mary answered. "He did try to get off work to see you three off, but he's just so busy these days. I suppose it's all worth the effort; just you wait, in a few years time your father will be Head Auror at the Ministry!"

"That'd be so cool," Kevin commented.

They reached King's Cross with time to spare, but Mira's mother wanted to get them to Platform 9¾ as quickly as possible. They grabbed a couple trolleys for their luggage and headed towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten that would lead them to the Hogwarts platform.

Mira was simply amazed by the magical barrier that seemed not to faze her brothers or her mother. What she found on the other side amazed her even more. A gleaming, scarlet red steam engine rumbled on the tracks, just moments away from taking off. The words _Hogwarts Express_ were painted across the front and Mira felt her heart thump with excitement.

"Come along, Mira dear," came her mother's voice which shook her from her stupor.

Mira quickly followed her family towards the train, her anticipation growing stronger with every step she took. Kevin and Elijah left with a few friends along the way, but Mira just looked on shyly. Her mother, as happy and smiling as ever, put an arm around Mira's shoulders and hugged her close.

"Don't worry, Mira," she said, "You'll make plenty of friends in time."

Mira smiled at her and they walked closer to the train. She could feel the ground rumbling beneath her feet as the great, red beast next to her growled. Once Mira's trunk was on the train, she turned to her mother who was looking on happily. Mira hugged her tightly and felt her mother place a kiss on the top of her head.

"Have fun at Hogwarts, dear," Mary said. "And promise to write often. Remember if you need anything, your brothers are there to help you. And you can always go talk to Professor Dumbledore. He'll help you."

Mira just nodded as the train whistle blew, signalling the five minute warning before the train left. Her mother kissed her forehead again.

"Oh, now my daughter's gone off to Hogwarts! Whatever will I do?!" she exclaimed.

Mira laughed. "I love you, mum."

"I love you too, Mira."

With one final hug, Mira boarded the train with the other students. She made her way along the corridor to the compartment where she'd put her trunk, only to find that it was already occupied. Inside were three boys, talking excitedly to each other. They hardly seemed to notice her as she walked in and sat opposite them, and Mira felt a little bit uncomfortable. What should she say?

As she thought of how to start a nice conversation, Mira looked the three boys over. While two of the boys had black hair, the first one's hair was unruly and it stuck out at odd angles. He also wore round glasses over his big hazel eyes. He was slight, but taller than her still, and had a loud, almost attention-seeking voice.

The other boy wasn't as tall as the first, but had slightly wider shoulders. His hair was dark black as well, but it was cut short and neatly. Also unlike the first boy, he didn't wear glasses. Instead, she could perfectly see a pair of cool, grey eyes that seemed to glitter with amusement.

The third boy was very unlike the other two. His hair was light in colour and his eyes were brown. His skin was very pale, almost sick-like and Mira wondered briefly if he had the flu.

They were talking about Quidditch and Mira was suddenly extremely grateful to her brothers who constantly drilled her with plays and team names and such.

"Ireland's going all the way. O'Brian's the best captain they've ever seen!" the one wearing glasses said to the others.

Mira snorted, which caught their attentions. "Ireland? Are you joking? Germany is the best in the league. Everyone knows that," she said.

"Germany! Hah!" the boy laughed. "Not one of them can even think about getting the snitch before O'Brian!"

Now Mira laughed. "Well, clearly you haven't seen Germany's new Seeker play! Ethelstan can out-fly O'Brian any day!"

All three boys stared at her, amazement clearly showing in their eyes.

Finally, the boy with the glasses asked, "What's your name?"

Mira smiled. "Mira Johnson. I'm a first year."

"James Potter," the boy said introducing himself. "This is Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. You know a lot about Quidditch for a girl."

"I have two older brothers," she told them. "When they're not making me play every position possible, they're drilling me with knowledge."

"Good on them," said Sirius Black with a grin.

Mira was about to comment when the door opened up again. A girl stood in the doorway, looking upset. She looked about Mira's height and had beautiful red hair and pretty green eyes. The girl didn't introduce herself, instead she just walked into the compartment and sat down in the furthest corner from them, turning her face towards the window.

James, Sirius and Remus, who ignored the other girl, were still talking to her.

"Think you'll try out for your house team?" James asked.

Mira shook her head. "I don't think so. First years never make it. Besides, my brother, Kevin, plays for the Gryffindor team. He'd never let me live it down if I came to try-out," she told them.

"Are you that bad?" Sirius asked with a laugh.

"No!" Mira said defensively. "I'm quite good actually. But Kevin thinks Quidditch is too dangerous for girls to play competitively. He just doesn't want me to get hurt."

"That's understandable," Remus said. "It is a dangerous sport."

Again, the compartment door slid open. This time a boy stood there, looking pale and unkempt. He was already changed into his school robes, but that didn't hide the fact that he looked skinny and underfed. His hair was dark and looked greasy even from where she sat and his frown made him seem even more unpleasant.

Like the girl before him, the boy didn't acknowledge them at all and made his way over to the girl. Mira, now curious, drowned out the boys' conversation to listen to the new one going on beside her.

"But we're going!" the boy exclaimed. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"

The girl, who Mira hadn't noticed had been crying, nodded her head and rubbed at her eyes with a small smile.

The boy grinned. "You'd better be in Slytherin."

"Slytherin?"

Mira looked over at James, who had a look of repulsion on his face. She could immediately tell that James proudly held the idea that all Slytherins were bad, something she herself didn't believe due to her mother's kindness rubbing off on her. Remus looked indifferent, while Sirius had gone oddly quiet.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin?" James asked before turning to Sirius. "I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Mira saw that Sirius didn't smile at the joke. Instead, rather glumly, he said, "My whole family have been in Slytherin."

"Blimey! And I thought you seemed alright!"

"James! That's not very nice!" Mira chided.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition," Sirius said with a smile at her. "Where're you heading if you've got the choice?" he asked James.

"'_Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!_' Like my dad," James answered proudly.

The other boy, whose name Mira still didn't know, snorted.

James glared at him. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," the boy said. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy…"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius added.

James roared with laughter and Mira, though she thought the comeback was clever, couldn't find the humour in it. Remus too just shook his head and turned away, while Sirius looked quite proud with himself.

The red haired girl stood angrily, glaring at James and Sirius. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment," she said, heading out the door.

The boy, Severus, followed her out, casting a dark look at James and Sirius, who were still laughing. James tried unsuccessfully to trip Severus and instead shouted, "See ya, Snivellus!" before the door shut closed.

Mira looked at them seriously. "You two could have handled that a little more maturely, you know," she told them.

Sirius shrugged as he wiped his tears away. "You don't agree with Snivellus, do you?" he asked. "You don't want to be in Slytherin too?"

"No," Mira answered instinctively. "I'd like to be in Gryffindor, with my brothers. Or Ravenclaw; my mum was a Ravenclaw. But I still don't think it's fair for you to tease him like that."

Both James and Sirius shrugged her off. "You'd all better be in Gryffindor," James said. "That's the best house."

Mira nodded quietly before turning to look out the window. She couldn't help but feel bad for Severus and the girl. Though she couldn't fathom the kind of person that would want to be in Slytherin, Mira also wasn't one to judge without reason. And right now she didn't have any reason to not like Severus, even if he wished to be in Slytherin.

She spent the rest of the train ride talking about Quidditch and playing Exploding Snap with the boys. Mira found it was like hanging out with her brothers and soon counted James, Sirius and Remus as her friends.

They changed into their robes before they got off the train and together they made their way over to where the rest of the first year students were congregated. They were told to get into small row boats (conveniently four to a boat) and they sailed across the Black Lake towards Hogwarts.

Mira was amazed by the sight of the grand castle. Many windows were lit up and they sparkled off the lake's dark surface. She could feel her excitement about to bubble over, as could Remus.

"Exciting isn't it?" he said.

Mira smiled and nodded happily.

"Oi! Mira!"

Mira replied, "What Sirius?" as she turned to face him and got a handful of water splashed in her face. She let out a cry as the cold water hit her, some of it running down her front. She could hear James and Sirius howling with laughter ahead of her.

"You are so dead, Black."

An all-out war broke out as the four of them splashed each other, even hitting a few boats around them. Needless to say, they were all dripping wet when they reached the castle. They entered together, still laughing and fighting with each other, when someone cleared their throat.

Mira looked ahead to see a very stern witch looking at them, her hair pulled back tightly into a knot at the base of her neck. She was wearing long, green dress robes and a pointed wizard's hat.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked.

No one said a word.

The witch sighed and pulled out her wand. For a fleeting moment, Mira thought she was going to punish them, but instead she waved her wand over them and their clothes and hair dried.

"Let this be a warning to you four. Don't let it happen again," the witch said.

Mira nodded along with the others before they ran off to catch up with the other first years.

"That was a close one!" James said.

Sirius nodded. "I thought she was going to hex us for sure!"

"Well, it would have been your fault if she had," Mira told him jokingly.

"Oh, really?" Sirius said.

Mira smiled. "You started it."

"Well, it was just too good to pass up!"

They laughed together as they caught up with the other students who were entering the Great Hall. Mira was awestruck by the sight. There were four great, long tables filled with older students in their black robes and a head table at the front of the hall where the teachers sat. Above them was a magnificent ceiling that looked like the night sky, twinkling with stars.

During her gazing, Mira bumped into someone and she quickly snapped back to reality.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

It was the girl from the train. She looked happier now and she smiled at Mira and said, "That's okay."

Mira smiled before running to catch up with the boys, who were muttering amongst themselves.

"Nervous?" she asked Sirius as she came up behind him.

"A little," he admitted. "I don't want to be like the rest of my family. I want to be different."

Mira smiled at him. "Trust me, Sirius, you aren't like them at all," she said.

Sirius genuinely smiled at her and then the sorting began.

Mira waited anxiously for their names to be called, praying that they'd all end up in the same house. She knew it was unlikely, but it could still be possible.

"Black, Sirius!"

She smiled encouragingly at him, but he seemed too nervous to notice. He walked towards the Sorting Hat (James patted him on the back as he passed) and stepped up to it, casting an uneasy glance at the Slytherin table.

The strict witch from before, Professor McGonagall, placed the hat on his head and Mira could see the look of apprehension pass over Sirius' face. She held her breath as the brim of the hat opened wide…

"Gryffindor!"

"Yes!" she cried, before clamping her hand over her mouth. Luckily her shout had been drowned out by all the cheers and applause and only James and Remus had heard her. James looked at her quizzically and Mira shrugged.

A few more people were called up and them Professor McGonagall called, "Evans, Lily!" Mira watch as the girl from the train walked up to the hat and placed it on her head.

"Gryffindor!"

She clapped as Lily made her way over to the Gryffindor table, avoiding Sirius, whom she must have recognized from the incident on the train.

Again, a few people were called up and left to go to their separate house tables before Mira's name was called.

"Johnson, Mira!"

Feeling all eyes on her, Mira hesitantly stepped forwards and walked to the hat. She sat down on the stool and looked into the crowd before her, seeing James and Remus smiling encouragingly at her. Sirius was doing the same, although he had a ridiculously happy grin on his face.

Suddenly, she heard a voice inside her head.

'_Hmm, yes I see… very intelligent. Perfect for Ravenclaw; your mother's house. I see bravery too, and kindness. Gryffindor could use more accepting thinkers. Too ambitious for Hufflepuff, and though not totally opposed to the idea, not wishful for Slytherin. Yes… I see…_'

"Gryffindor!"

A wide grin spread across her face as the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers once again and Mira bounced off to see her friend.

"You did it! You broke the tradition!" she cried happily as she sat beside Sirius.

He smiled at her. "Yeah… I did."

Remus and James were also sorted into Gryffindor, much to Mira and Sirius' delight. James was absolutely ecstatic though it seemed Lily, who sat across from them, was less enthused. She was especially saddened when her friend, Severus, was sorted into Slytherin.

"Got what he wanted, the git," James muttered, before stuffing his face with more food.

Mira ignored his comment and looked over to Lily, who hadn't spoken a word or eaten any of her meal.

"Hi, I'm Mira Johnson," she introduced. "You're Lily, right?"

Lily looked up and gave Mira a weak smile. "Yes, my name's Lily Evans," she said.

"I saw you on the train," Mira told her. "I was with…"

"I know," Lily interrupted, shooting a glare at James and Sirius.

Mira smiled apologetically. "I'm really sorry about that. They were rude."

Lily shrugged. "It's okay. They don't seem like the kind of people I'd like to hang out with anyway," she said.

"I like them. They aren't all that bad, just… James and Sirius have to learn to think before they speak."

Lily laughed. "Good luck with that."

Mira laughed with her and they talked throughout the rest of their meal, with only a few interruptions from her other friends. When the meal was done, Mira went to get up with Lily, but Lily stopped her.

"I was going to go say goodnight to Severus," Lily told her. "I'll meet you in the Common Room?"

"Sure," Mira said before following the boys out of the Hall.

"We're going to have so much fun, mates!" James exclaimed when Mira caught up with them. "Just the four of us! Me, Sirius, Remus, and… Mira?"

Mira wasn't paying any attention to James. Instead she was watching as a group of _first year_ Slytherins bullied a much smaller Gryffindor. They'd stolen his wand and were tossing it back and forth between them as the smaller boy tried desperately to get it back.

Anger swelled up inside her and she went to take a step forward, but was held back by a hand on her shoulder. Mira looked up at Sirius, who also wore an angry expression on his face.

"Oi!" he yelled as he stepped forward, James and Remus following close behind.

Mira went after them and watched as Sirius and James drew their wands and pointed them at the Slytherins.

"Give him his wand back," James ordered.

Obviously seeing that they were outnumbered, the Slytherins shrugged and dropped the boy's wand at their feet. The boy scrambled after it and if Mira had arrived at just that moment, it would look like he was bowing to the Slytherins. The boy grabbed his wand and scurried off to the side.

"You'd better stay away from him," Sirius warned and the Slytherins scoffed and walked away, chortling with each other.

Mira stepped forward and looked at the boy, who was still standing there nervously. "Are you alright?" she asked.

The boy nodded, but gave no other answer.

After looking at the others for help, Remus asked, "What's your name?"

"P-Peter Pettig-grew," the boy stammered.

"Well, Peter!" Sirius exclaimed. "We're headed off to the Common Room. Care to join us?"

Peter nodded and quickly followed after them, as though afraid the Slytherins would come after him again.

James started his speech again. "This is going to be so great! Just the… five of us! Me, Sirius, Remus, Mira, and Peter!"

Mira smiled. She liked the sound of that.

**XXX**

**There you go! The prologue to 'Undeniable Attraction'! Yey! I know there wasn't really much action or suspense in this one, it was basically meant to give background on Mira. I hope you enjoyed it though! *cough* That means leave a review, please! *cough***

**And I'll put a disclaimer in here too: I don't own anything from Harry Potter. They belong to J.K. Rowling… blah, blah, blah… WB Studios… etc… Just own Mira Johnson and other unrecognized characters. **

**Thanks everyone! **

**impalame**


	2. Chapter One

**Hello again! Thanks to those who reviewed the prologue, I'm glad to see people are interested. I have to say… I'm already starting to like you guys! :)**

**A special shout out to Bloody-Ribbon, my very first reviewer! Yey! =D If the rest of you want special mention as well, you'd better be the first to review for this one! So get on it!**

**Alright, as much as I would've liked to skip right to the good stuff, I had to put this up. Once again, it's another chapter of giving background. It's kinda like history, and I know how much everyone likes history (ducks flying computer screens). Or not…**

**This one summarizes the main points of Mira's school years at Hogwarts. There's some important stuff in here, so watch out for things that will be used later on! And by the time you're done with this, it will be seventh year! Wow, time really does fly! (Okay, cheesy I know.)**

**Enjoy!**

**Undeniable Attraction**

Chapter One

It really is amazing what can happen in seven years. Seven years passed for Mira and she did not regret a single thing she'd done. She continued to hang out with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and their relationship was stronger than anything Mira had ever experienced before. They were great friends, but something else had also brought them close together…

"_It can't be! Remus? Our Remus? It's not possible…," Mira argued. _

"_Look at the facts, Mira!" James said. "He leaves every month, just a few days before the full moon. He's always sick during those days. And the scratches he comes back with… there's no other explanation!" _

_Mira looked at him seriously. "Listen to what you're saying, James! You're talking about Remus Lupin, our Remus; the sweetest, kindest person at Hogwarts!" _

"_It makes sense though, Mira," Sirius said. "He's a werewolf…" _

"_Don't say that out loud!" _

"_Why? No one else is here!" _

_James sighed. "Would you two cut it out! Look, we'll just ask him. If he's not one, we'll just laugh it off." _

"_And if he is?" Sirius asked. _

"_Well, then we'll do whatever we can to help him," James said. _

_Mira sighed. "Peter, you don't believe this, do you?" _

_Peter shrugged when suddenly the door opened, and Remus stepped in with a pile of books in his arms. _

"_Okay, I got all the books we'll ever need for the essay," he said, placing the pile onto a table. "Now, what was it you were... Mira what are you doing in here?" _

_Mira smiled sheepishly. She was sitting on James' bed in the boys' second year dorms, somewhere she was not supposed to be. But they'd needed a safe place to tell her… _

"_Hey, Remus," she said before hanging her head. _

_Remus looked at them with a quizzical look. "What's going on?" he asked. _

_After a few moments, James spoke up. "Don't take this the wrong way, mate. We're probably wrong anyway. We need to ask you something," he said, looking at Sirius for help. _

_Sirius looked at Remus, whose face had paled considerably. "Remus, mate, are you… are you a werewolf?" _

_A deathly silence engulfed the room, swallowing them whole. Mira looked from James and Sirius to Remus, who looked terrified. _

"_Who… how'd you…" Remus stuttered, tears swimming in his eyes. _

_Mira jumped off the bed and ran over to him, throwing her arms around him and crying into his shoulder. _

"_Remus… no… no… how…" _

_She continued to hug him as James and Sirius spoke up. _

"_Remus, mate, why didn't you tell us?" James asked. _

"_I thought… I thought you'd hate me. I was afraid that you'd… abandon me," Remus answered. _

_Sirius chuckled. "Well, I don't think you'll be allowed to leave Mira anytime soon." No one laughed at the attempted joke. _

"_We're not going to abandon you," James said. "We want to help you." _

"_There's nothing you can do!" Remus shouted, startling Mira into more tears. He hugged her tightly, afraid to let go. "Dumbledore should never have let me come. I'm too dangerous to you." _

"_We'll find a way, Remus. We'll find a way to help you." _

It took three long, hard years to figure it out. It took extensive amounts of research and many nightly excursions to the library after curfew. But finally, in their fifth year, they did it. They became Animagi.

"_Are you sure this will work?" Remus asked nervously. He was pacing in the Room of Requirement, possibly more nervous than they all were combined. They were doing this for him after all. _

"_I don't see why it shouldn't," Mira asked. "We were so close last time; Sirius got his head completely transformed!" _

"_Yeah, and my neck still hurts, by the way!" he yelled from his chair. _

"_With a few more adjustments," Mira continued, "in theory we should be able to transform completely." _

"_In theory?" Remus asked, even more nervously now. _

_James walked up to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Remus. Mira's the best charms student in our year, remember? She knows what she's doing." _

"_I'm not saying she isn't the best charms student!" Remus exclaimed. "But adult wizards have tried this and failed over and over again. I just don't want any of you hurt." _

_Mira walked over and hugged him. "Remus, we swore to you in second year that we would do anything to help you with your 'furry little problem' and this is it. This is how we're going to help you. Just let us try." _

_After a moment of deliberation, Remus nodded and Mira kissed his cheek. _

"_Okay, you boys ready?" she asked. Then she saw Peter fast asleep in an armchair. "Sirius, wake Peter up, he's fallen asleep again." _

_Sirius woke him up and then they all came to stand in the middle of the room, while Remus looked on nervously. _

"_So… who wants to go first?" James asked. _

"_I will," Mira said confidently. _

_Sirius turned to her with an uncertain expression. "Mira, maybe someone else should go first…" _

"_No. I'm going first." _

_The boys stepped back, leaving enough space for her to transform. Mira just hoped it was something small. _

"_Ready Mira?" James asked. _

_Mira nodded and closed her eyes, trying to block everything out. She tried to stop listening, to the point where she couldn't hear Remus' footsteps anymore, or even the others' worried breathing. She focused on unleashing the animal inside her… letting it go… becoming the animal…_

_Pain shot through her body in pulses. Mira felt the change, her bones stretching, growing longer. Then they shifted, grinding against each other. She hunched over onto her hands, crying out as she finished what she hoped was a successful transformation. _

_Then all the pain stropped. _

"_Mira?" _

_She looked up at the sound of her name, feeling her ears prick forward at the tiny whisper and her mind buzz with the assault of scents. The boys stood before her, she could see them clearly in the dark room as if they were standing under a spotlight. Mira walked towards them, smelling each of their distinct scents. She laughed at the look of terror on Sirius' face as she smelt him and everyone, including herself, jumped at the nose they heard. Mira looked around for the source of the deep growl and upon finding nothing there realized that it had come from her. _

"_She actually did it," Remus said. "Merlin, Mira, you did it!" _

"_Pete, go get the mirror! Pete! Oh, I'll go get it!" _

_Sirius walked into the darkness that Mira could see through and then came back, rolling a giant floor length mirror with him. _

_He laughed as he stopped it in front of her. "Just don't eat me when you see this, Mira. Wow…" _

_The reflection in the mirror, _her_ reflection, was astounding. Mira saw a big, beautiful black mountain lion standing where she was standing. It had yellow cat eyes and sparkling white teeth, along with a shiny, black coat. It… _she_ was magnificent. _

"_We need a nickname," James said suddenly, causing the others to look at him strangely. "She does! We can all have nicknames!" _

_Mira stretched out on the floor as they began to list off any nicknames they could think of. _

"_Blackie? Shadow? Do you like any of those Mira?" _

_She glared (or she hoped it was a glare) at James, who took a step backwards. _

_Sirius rolled his eyes. "You call those nicknames?" _

"_I'd like to see you come up with better!" _

_Sirius treaded over to her, and Mira was careful not to move so she didn't startle him. He slowly sat on the floor beside her and hesitantly began to stroke her black, coat. She couldn't help it; she purred. Sirius chuckled nervously. _

"_Well, this is weird," he said. "Nicknames… hmm… I know! Paws!" _

_Mira lifted her head to look at him. It was better than 'Blackie'_

_Sirius looked confused. "Yes? Is that a yes? No? Mira? Err… a little help, mates?"_

_She moved her head towards him and the others gasped, causing Sirius to turn his head towards her. Mira did the only thing she could think of, so she licked his face. _

"_EW! MIRA! THAT WAS SO… MERLIN! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT!" _

_She let out a growl of laughter. _

"_Err… I'm not sure, but I think that was a 'yes' to 'Paws'," Remus said with a laugh. _

That's how she became 'Paws'. James was the next to transform. He turned into an elegant stag. Sirius, again, came up with his nickname 'Prongs'. After that, Sirius transformed; he changed into a big, black dog. He was given the nickname 'Padfoot'. And just to annoy Mira, the first thing he did was lick her cheek. Peter was the last to transform and when he did he changed into a rat. James got the final vote on his nickname, 'Wormtail'. And just so he didn't feel left out, Mira gave Remus the nickname 'Moony'.

Now they were the Marauders: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs… and Pawson occasion. 

It turned out that Mira never had many friends that were girls, but Lily became her closest and best friend. She was a kind, smart, wonderful person that Mira had just gravitated towards ever since their first day at Hogwarts. And Mira was always there for Lily when she had problems with Severus…

_Fifteen year old, Mira looked around the Great Hall with a bored expression. She'd finished her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam moments before, with a few minutes to spare. So while she waited for the exam to let out, she took to looking around at the people in the hall. _

_Lily was at the very front of her row, trying to fit in every last detail on her page. Mira was positive Lily would get an Outstanding on her paper, but Lily still felt the need to go above and beyond. _

_Remus sat a few seats behind Lily, frowning as he re-read his exam paper. Mira didn't understand why he looked so worried; Remus had studied the most during their 'study sessions'. In fact, he was the only one who'd studied during those sessions, James, Sirius, and herself had just joked around in the library while Peter laughed. _

_Peter, who was a few seats to her right, looked absolutely lost and chanced a quick look at his neighbor's parchment. Mira felt bad for him. He tried so hard, and she couldn't count the number of times that they'd stayed up to try and help him study. It was just a hopeless case._

_Mira looked to the row next to her, where James was already pleased with his exam and now doodling on some paper. Mira laughed and rolled her eyes at the snitch drawn on his page with the letters L.E. written inside. Lily would have been so happy to see that. _

_Four seats back from James was Sirius. He was lounging in his seat, tilted on the back two legs of his chair and when he saw Mira look at him he winked and nudged his head in James' direction. Mira rolled her eyes with a laugh. He too must have seen James' artistry. _

"_Quills down, please!" tiny Professor Flitwick squeaked. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio_!" _

_Mira smiled as her paper zoomed away from her desk towards Flitwick. He was knocked off his feet by the force of all the papers and Mira laughed as Lily rushed over to help him. _

_Mira grabbed her bag and went over to meet the others before they headed out of the Great Hall._

"_Did you like question ten, Moony?" Sirius asked with a chuckle, slinging an arm around Mira's shoulders. _

"_Loved it," Remus answered with a grin. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."_

_James was teasing now. "Do you think you managed to get all the signs?" he asked with mock concern. _

"_Think I did," Remus said, "One: He's sitting in my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin."_

"_I got number four," Mira said, "He's the greatest best friend in the world!" _

"_Hey, what about me?!" Sirius whined. _

_James laughed. "Tough luck, Padfoot. You're third. Mira's favorites are Remus, then me, _then_ you." _

_While Sirius was pouting, Peter was being completely serious. "I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes and the tufted tail, but I couldn't think what else…" _

"_How thick are you, Wormtail?" James asked. "You run around with a werewolf once a month…" _

"_Keep your voice down," Remus warned. _

_Sirius shrugged. "Well, I thought it was a piece of cake," he said as they stepped out into the sunlight and headed towards their beech tree by the lake, "I'll be surprised if I don't get and 'Outstanding' on it at least." _

"_Me too," James commented before reaching into his pocket. _

_Mira rolled her eyes, already predicting what was coming. "Where'd you get that?" she asked as he pulled out the school's Golden Snitch. _

"_Nicked it," James replied with a grin. _

_They all sat under the shade or the beech tree, enjoying the end of their exam. James began to play with the snitch while Peter watched with amazement, Remus pulled out a book and read, and Sirius watched the students around them, looking haughty and bored. _

_Mira laughed. "Tired Padfoot?" she asked. _

_Sirius grinned and replied, "How can I be when you're here, Paws?" _

_She rolled her eyes and punched him playfully in the arm. "You're such a suck-up, Sirius!" _

"_Hey, I got to work my way up to number one somehow!" _

_Mira laughed and looked away from him, to watch the other students around the lake. Lily was sitting with Mary McDonald as the two cooled off after there exam. Mira liked Mary, she was a sweet girl and about the only other girl Mira would hang out with besides Lily. The rest of Hogwarts' female population though Mira could do without. Most of them hated her for being so close to James and Sirius, the most sought after boys in the whole school, even though they acted more like over-protective brothers than anything else. The rest of them wanted to kill her for being even closer to Sirius, who she shared and unexplainable, unbreakable connection with. But Mira didn't care; all she needed was her friends. _

"_Put that away, will you," Sirius told James, who was still playing with the snitch, "before Wormtail wets himself with excitement." _

_Peter blushed, but James grinned. "If it bothers you," he said before tucking it away for safe-keeping. _

_A few moments passed in silence and then Sirius sighed. "I'm bored," he said, earning a playful glare from Mira, "I wish it was a full moon." _

"_You might," Remus said from behind his book. "We've still got Transfiguration; if you're bored you could test me…" _

_Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all." _

_Mira chuckled to herself just as a mischievous grin appeared on James' face. "This'll liven you up, Padfoot. Look who it is…" _

_Mira looked in the direction James was suggesting, and even from the far distance she was at saw Severus innocently getting up to go back inside after reading over his exam paper. _

"_Don't," she said. "James, leave him alone." _

_James, however, had no intention of doing what she'd asked and was already on his feet, waiting for someone to join him. _

_Sirius was about to stand up with him, but Mira grabbed his wrist. "Sirius, please," she begged. "Just leave him alone." _

_He looked from her, to Severus, to James, and then back to her. Then he kissed the top of her head quickly. "Stay here," he said, before going after James, his wand already drawn. _

"_Sirius!" she called after him, but he didn't turn. _

_Mira looked at Remus expectantly, but he was just 'reading' his book. "Do something!" she said, causing him to look up at her, "You're a Prefect, for Merlin's sake!" _

_She pulled herself up from the ground and began to run after the boys, noticing that Lily had done the same from the lake. As she approached, Mira saw that Sirius had used the Impediment jinx and that Severus couldn't even move as they taunted him. _

"_You… wait," Severus panted, shooting James an icy glare, "you…wait!" _

"_Wait for what?" Sirius said coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe you nose on us?"_

_Severus was letting out a stream of swear words when Mira arrived and she stepped right between Sirius and Severus. _

_Sirius sighed. "Mira, I told you to wait over there," he said, lowering his wand so it wasn't pointed at her chest. _

"_And do nothing?" Mira replied. "You promised me, Sirius! You swore you wouldn't do this again!" _

_Behind her, Severus was still swearing and James, who wasn't yet aware of her presence, said, "Wash out your mouth. _Scourgify_!"_

_Pink soap bubbles started to protrude from Severus' mouth, gagging and choking him. _

"_Leave him ALONE!" _

_Mira turned to see Lily, positively furious, glaring at James. _

"_All right, Evans?" James said. _

"_Leave him alone," Lily repeated. "What's he done to you?" _

"_Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…," James replied, earning a bark of laughter from Sirius and other students. _

_Lily glared with even more hatred. "You think you're funny," she told him menacingly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone." _

_James grinned. "I will if you go out with me, Evans. Go on, go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."_

_Lily laughed coldly. "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!" _

"_Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius said, just as Severus suddenly got up behind them, his wand raised in the air. _

"_OI!" _

_All Mira heard was a bang before she was pushed to the side and then a second loud bang and a flash of light followed. Mira looked up to find that Sirius had pushed her behind him to protect her from whatever Severus had done. There was blood spattered across James' robes and a rather large gash on his check. James had his wand pointed at Severus, who was hanging upside down in a rather embarrassing position. Several students who had come to watch laughed, as did James and Sirius._

"_Let him down!" Lily ordered, to which James replied, "Certainly!" _

_With a jerk of his wand, Severus fell to the ground and attempted to untangle himself. He stood up, wand in the air, when Sirius shouted, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" _

_Severus went stiff, completely frozen, and fell over again. _

"_LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily screamed, her own wand raised and pointed at James. _

"_Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James said, though he looked a little worried. It wouldn't be the first time he was on the wrong end of one of Lily jinxes._

"_Take the curse off him, then!" _

_James looked at her for a moment before sighing and removing the curse. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus…," James said. _

"_I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" _

_Mira gasped. She never thought she'd hear those words come out of Severus' mouth. He was friends with Lily; he'd always been friends with her. How could he say that? _

"_Fine," Lily said coolly, but Mira could she tears making their way into her eyes. "I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_." _

Lily was devastated after that incident and her relationship with Severus was never the same after that. As for Mira, she ignored the boys for a few days until they swore that they wouldn't bother Severus again. Even though now anything they did do to him he deserved, she still didn't want them too torment him.

Especially Sirius, who Mira knew enjoyed teasing and tormenting Severus far too much for anyone's good. That was just one of the things she'd learned about him. They'd become very close over the years; certain circumstances of fate bringing them together. Mira liked to think that she was his confident, and she knew that he was her shoulder to cry on.

_The storm outside her window was raging. The rain was pouring down in sheets and crashing against the windowpane, while the wind soared and howled through the trees. Lightning flashed as thunder boomed and rattled the windows, startling sixteen year old Mira out of her light sleep. She groaned when she saw it was not yet morning. It had taken her so long to fall asleep; there was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she just couldn't shake. It had kept her awake for the longest time. The storm had started just after she'd finally drifted off, but now Mira didn't believe sleep was possible. _

_With an irritated sigh, Mira climbed out of her bed and left her bedroom. She tiptoed down the hall and stairs, slowly and tiredly making her way to the kitchen. What was left of her mother's apple pie was sitting on the counter and Mira grabbed a knife to cut herself a piece. _

_There was a knock at the door. _

_Mira looked around, wondering briefly if she had imagined it over the howl of the wind, when she heard it again. A clear, vibrating knock at the front door. _

_Mira walked over to the front door, grabbing her wand off the counter as she went and carefully opened it. _

"_Sirius?" _

_There he stood, drenched and shivering, on her doorstep in the pouring rain at the strangest time in the morning. His long, black hair was sticking to his forehead and his robes were swishing around him in the wind. Mira could see his broomstick in his hand and a large suitcase in the other._

"_What're you doing here?" she asked. _

"_Freezing," he replied sarcastically, but his eyes were pleading. "Can I come in?" _

_Mira nodded and held the door open for him, standing back as he lumbered through the door into the hall. She closed and locked the door behind him and when she turned Mira saw him smiling sheepishly. _

"_I'm a little wet," he told her, holding his arms out for emphasis. _

"_Sirius, what happened?" Mira asked seriously, walking behind him to take his cloak off. _

_She didn't see his eyes following her. "Nice pajamas," he commented. _

_Mira blushed as she glanced down at her pink boxer shorts and tank-top. It wasn't exactly the attire that she'd wanted Sirius, or any boy, to see her in. _

"_What happened?" Mira asked again, avoiding any further commentary on her outfit. She pulled his soaked cloak off of him and draped it over a chair. _

_Sirius sighed. "I went to James' first, but I forgot that he was on vacation with his parents for the summer. You were the next closest. You don't mind do you?" _

"_Of course not!" Mira answered, taking his broom and trunk from him. "But what are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?" _

_Mira turned, saw the look of sadness on Sirius' face, and felt her heart wrench painfully. Whatever happened wasn't good. _

"_They disowned me," Sirius said bluntly. _

_Not knowing what else to do, Mira took his hand and pulled him to the kitchen. She sat him at the table and went to the pie on the counter, cutting them both a piece. She poured two glasses of milk and placed his food in front of him. _

_Sirius looked at her with a confused look and said, "Mira…?"_

"_I'm so sorry, Sirius. I really am so sorry," she said in an attempt to comfort him. _

_He looked at her for a moment before laughing. "Mira, don't be sorry! I'm happy! Ecstatic even!"_

_Her eyebrows furrowed. "What? You're happy?" _

_Sirius nodded. _

"_Why?" _

_He smiled and said, "Mira, I couldn't wait to leave my house! I hated it there. I wasn't going back after this year anyway. I'm happy I'm gone earlier." _

"_Oh," Mira said. _

_He continued to smile before stuffing his face with pie. "You've heard about my family, right? Pureblood fanatics the lot of them. And for years I've been a disgrace to them." He laughed. "Remember at our Sorting, I was so worried about being sorted into Slytherin like the rest of them. I told you that I wanted to be different... and you told me that I'm not like them. That I won't be sorted into Slytherin." _

_Mira smiled. "You remember that?" _

"_Of course! Best piece of advice I've ever been given!"_

_She laughed. "Well, I was right. You turned out to be a great person, just like I knew you would." _

_Sirius smiled at her. "You know what the truth is, I'm happy I'm and outsider to my family. Sure, I could have money and power and be a miserable, Death Eater-to-be Slytherin… but I'd much rather have nothing at all and be happy with my best mates." _

_Mira continued to smile as she looked at him. He'd changed so much over the years, both physically and otherwise. He'd grown his dark, black hair out in an attempt to infuriate his parents and his eyes sparkled even brighter. He was much taller and years of quidditch practice had toned his body to perfection. But there were other things too. Sirius never told them much of what he was thinking those first couple years of friendship. Instead he kept it to himself, bottled up inside until it nearly made him go mad. He was more open and free now. And somehow, for reasons unknown to Mira, his heart had grown bigger. He'd learned not to be afraid to care, to love. _

"_Mira?" Sirius said. "I wanted to thank you…"_

"_Sirius, you don't have to. Really, it's fine. We'll explain the situation to my parents in the morning. I'm sure they won't mind you staying here," Mira said._

"_No, I'm not thanking you for that… well, I am, but not just that," he laughed. "I wanted to thank you for being there for me. I know it's not the easiest thing to be my friend, but you never gave up on me. And I just wanted you to know that…" _

_Sirius' eyes left hers as he looked down at the table. Mira looked at him curiously before reaching out for his hand, which brought Sirius to look back at her again._

"_I wanted you to know… that I really appreciate everything you've done for me." _

_Mira smiled warmly at him. She knew, she had a feeling, that this wasn't all he'd wanted to say. But it was all he could say, for now. _

"_C'mon," she said pulling him up, "I'll find you some dry clothes. You can sleep in Kevin's old room." _

_Sirius smiled and kissed the top of her head, whispering 'Thank you' as they made their way upstairs. _

It really is amazing what can happen in seven years. Seven years passed for Mira and she did not regret a single thing she'd done. Butseven perfect years comes at a price, and Mira was about to discover just how much she would have to pay.

**XXX**

**Tah-dah! There you are, chapter one! Hope it satisfied you for the time being! I especially liked the last memory; I thought it was cute =)**

**Onto chapter two! Then again… maybe I should wait for you all to send me lots of nice reviews before I give you anything. Hmm? I think that sounds like a plan! **

**REVIEW!!!**

**impalame**


	3. Chapter Two

**Yes, I know, I suck at updating. **

**A few things: One, yes, I know Lily and James don't get together until their seventh year. But for this story I wanted to focus on Mira. So many stories do the whole 'love/hate' relationship with Lily and James, but I just wanted to be different. Sorry if this bothers anyone :)**

**And secondly, I know it may seem that Mira and Sirius are a little touchy-feely. They aren't yet aware that they have feelings for each other; they're just very close. I'm using this later in the story, so bare with me!**

**A SPECIAL MENTION: to Ciuciu, who was my first reviewer for the last chapter. The rest of you… pick it up next time! **

**That's it for now! Enjoy! **

**impalame**

Undeniable Attraction

Chapter Two

"And promise me you'll write often, sweetheart," Mary Johnson asked for the hundredth time.

Mira rolled her eyes, but still smiled sweetly. "Of course, Mum. Every week," she replied. Mira hugged her mother one last time. If years before Mira thought she was a tiny clone of her mother, now she was her twin. Mira was the same average height, same thin size, same freckles and same green eyes. The only difference between them was Mira's long, straw-blonde hair to her mother's short bob.

She was seventeen now and had grown from an innocent, curious child into a less innocent, still curious woman.

"I love you sweetheart," her mother said. "Take good care of yourself."

"I will, Mum."

"Oh, and tell Sirius that he's welcome back anytime."

Mira laughed and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before she left to board the _Hogwarts' Express_ and to find her friends. She made her way down to their usual compartment at the back of the train. Mira could hear raucous laughter from inside along with someone, one of the boys, shouting at the others.

Mira grinned briefly before putting on a strict face and opening the compartment door.

"Now what in Merlin's good name is going on in here?" she asked sternly.

Each of the Marauders, plus Lily, turned to her with smiles on their faces.

"Sorry, Prefect Johnson. I tried to control them but it's a pointless objective," James apologized with a grin from his place beside Lily.

"Well, I don't doubt that you were a part of whatever disturbance was going on in here, Head Boy Potter. It's in your nature to be annoying. But you, Head Girl Evans, I expected more of," Mira chided.

Lily laughed a tinkling, musical laugh. "Oh, give it a rest Mira," she said.

Mira laughed and entered the compartment. "Well, fine. I was just trying to be responsible," she grumbled while putting her trunk onto the top shelf with Remus' help.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "When are you ever responsible, Paws?" he asked, grabbing her around the waist and dragging her over to the empty seat beside him.

"Always!" Mira argued. "Who else would make sure you four stayed out of trouble?"

"Remus," Sirius replied smartly. "And you get us into more trouble than out."

Mira tried to look affronted, but she couldn't contain her smile for very long and gave up on her attempt at being the stern Prefect. _That_ was a pointless objective.

"I still don't know how you got Head Boy, James," she said. "I would have bet my broom that Remus would get it."

"We are all equally puzzled, my dear Mira," James answered. "Lily, however, believes that I will be a good Head Boy."

Mira turned to Lily. "You know it's not good to lie to him. It's bad for the relationship."

Everyone in the compartment laughed, except James. Mira took them in just then. Lily had finally, after years of refusing him, agreed to go out with James just a few days before the summer break. Even after two whole months it was still weird for Mira to see them together. She was so used to seeing them fighting and arguing and hearing Lily go on about how much she loathed him. It was strange for Lily to tell her that she was in love.

Mira, as well as the other Marauders, knew that Lily had made James promise not to play pranks on Severus anymore. James had agreed, but he still did so when Lily wasn't looking. Mira never participated in these pranks and disapproved of them whole heartedly. She even considered telling Lily, but when she saw the look of happiness on both of their faces, Mira thought against it. She didn't want to ruin that happiness, and she knew that James would never forgive her if she did.

The others soon fell into their previous conversations giving Mira the time to address Sirius. She supposed he looked well, though it had been only a few weeks since she'd last seen him. Mira thought back to those few days he'd spent at her house while James was away on vacation. Even though Sirius had insisted he go to Remus' house, Mira's parents weren't willing to let him go. Her mother especially, who'd been so upset at hearing that Sirius' parents kicked him out.

"_No mother should give up her children so easily." _

In truth, Mira had been a little upset when James had come to pick Sirius up a few days later. The Potter's had decided to come home early when they'd heard about Sirius. And though they'd had a lot of fun just the two of them; Mira was slightly upset at the look of relief that passed over Sirius' face when James showed up at the door.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Mira turned to Sirius. "So how've you been?" she asked.

"Excellent," Sirius replied with a grin. "I love it at the Potters'! I don't know why I waited so long to leave my parents' place."

Mira gave him a small smile. "Well, so long as you're happy."

"I am," he told her. "You've no idea how free I feel, Mira! It's brilliant! I can do anything I want!"

Mira laughed. "Not like that's ever stopped you before," she reminded him.

He smiled back at her. "True enough," he said.

"We should probably get going to the Prefects' meeting," Lily said to Remus and Mira before turning to James. "We can't be late for our first meeting as Head Boy and Girl."

"Sure Lily!" James said standing up and opening the compartment door for her.

Sirius chuckled before making a whipping noise.

As James glared at him and Lily shook her head with a small smile, Remus hit Sirius upside the head.

"Just you wait," he warned Sirius, "one of these days someone will catch your fancy and then you'll be opening doors and obeying her every demand…"

"I do not obey her every command!"

"James. Move."

"Yes, Lily."

The three left the compartment ahead of Mira, who gave Sirius a smile. "Remus is right, you know. It'll happen to you, this whole love-struck thing."

Sirius continued to grin. "Well, I'll let you know if it ever happens," he replied sarcastically.

Mira rolled her eyes and turned to leave when he called her name.

"Yes, Sirius?"

"If I ever start acting like James though, hex me."

Mira laughed. "Will do," she answered.

XXX

The Prefects' meeting was short and mostly consisted of James hanging on Lily's every word, which the rest of the Prefects found rather amusing. Mira had to cover her mouth with her sleeve to prevent her laughter from escaping.

After that, a few of the House Prefects were left to patrol the train corridors, but Mira luckily avoided that task. Instead, she slipped away from the others and headed back to their compartment hoping that Sirius was still there with Peter. He was usually her only source of entertainment aboard the train when the others were patrolling and she was hoping he hadn't ditched them so soon.

To her disappointment, he had.

Now on a mission to find Sirius, Mira searched nearly every compartment. She purposefully skipped the Slytherin compartments, _highly_ doubting that Sirius would be in there.

It wasn't until Mira reached the opposite end of the train that she finally found him. He was sitting with some other seventh years, all of whom Mira recognized from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses, as well as their own.

"Mira!" a girl, Alice Greene, exclaimed as she jumped up to embrace Mira. "It's so good to see you! How was your summer?"

"It was… eventful," Mira replied, casting a look at Sirius as she sat next to him.

Sirius just grinned.

"Well, now that we're on the edge of our seats, Mira," Alice's boyfriend, Frank, said, "tell us what was so eventful."

Mira shrugged. "Well, my brother Elijah moved back home, and Dad got promoted to Head Auror at the beginning of the summer, and Sirius came to stay for a week, and then Kevin…"

"What?!" Alice interrupted, her eyes flicking between Mira and Sirius. "I didn't know you two were going out! Why did no one tell me?!"

Mira felt heat rise in her cheeks as she shook her head frantically. "No, no, Alice. We're not… that's just… he was…"

"What Mira is _trying_ to say," Sirius interrupted with a manic grin, "is that I was only visiting. We're not a thing."

"Exactly," Mira added.

Alice looked slightly crestfallen. "Oh, that's too bad. I think you would be great together, don't you Frank?"

"Alice, I think you're embarrassing her," he told his girlfriend with a smile.

If possible, Mira went even redder. This was not exactly what she thought was going to happen when she entered the compartment. She definitely didn't plan on being so embarrassed.

But why was she embarrassed? It was just a misunderstanding; it wasn't as though anything was going on between her and Sirius. That would be ridiculous.

Before Alice could make anymore comments, the compartment door opened and Lily, James, and Remus entered, effectively drawing the attention away from her. Peter stumbled in a little while after. Everyone started telling stories about their summer and reminiscing about all the good times they'd had at Hogwarts in the past years.

"I can't believe this is the last year," James said sadly. "It seems just like yesterday we were a bunch of misfits looking to belong…"

"Speak for yourself, mate," Sirius interrupted. "I was _never_ a misfit."

The compartment went silent as everyone looked at each other, trying not to laugh. It didn't last very long, and soon enough, everyone was in fits of laughter.

"Oh, I suppose you all think you're quite funny!" Sirius shouted over the commotion, sending the others into more giggles.

By the time the compartment had settled down, Sirius was sitting in the corner with his arms crossed, glaring out the window.

Mira laughed and put her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, c'mon Sirius," she said. "We're only kidding you."

He looked at her gloomily.

"C'mon," she said, "give me a smile."

The corners of his mouth twitched.

"C'mon…"

Sirius smiled at her, shaking his head. "How old do you think I am, Paws? Five?"

"Actually, I thought you were four."

"Oh, very funny."

"I thought so."

Sirius laughed and turned to talk to James and some of the other boys, while Mira sat back and looked across to Lily and Alice.

Alice winked at her, then nodded to Sirius.

Mira glared at the girl, but at the same time felt her face get hot. She avoided Alice's gaze for the rest of the train ride.

And she spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out what was so embarrassing.

XXX

The next morning, Mira woke up unusually early because of the sun streaming through the window and across her face. With a yawn and a stretch, Mira sat up in bed and looked to the bed next to her. Instead of being sound asleep, Lily was nowhere to be found. Her bed was made up tidily, and the uniform that had been placed at the foot her bed the night before was gone.

"Lil?" Mira called quietly, trying not to disturb the other girls still asleep.

"Hmm?"

Mira turned to see Lily walk out of the attached bathroom. She was fully dressed in her uniform, ready to go to breakfast.

"Why the bloody hell are you up so early?" Mira asked, rubbing her tired eyes.

Lily shrugged in response. "James is an early riser. He likes to go down to breakfast before all the 'good food' is eaten," she said with a chuckle.

Mira rolled her eyes. "He would," she commented. "It's a wonder Sirius isn't up with him this early."

"He comes down a little while after," Lily told her, "you just never notice because you are almost always late."

Mira glared. "Am not."

"Are too."

"Shut up, Lily!"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" someone yelled from their bed.

The girls shared a silent look of laughter before Lily whispered, "Get ready and come down with me. Who knows, you might just get the 'good food' today!"

Fifteen minutes later, Mira and Lily were making their way down to the Entrance Hall for breakfast. The castle was pretty much deserted, except for the occasional student or ghost passing.

"Since when did you start getting up so early?" Mira asked.

Lily thought for a moment. "I'd say just a few weeks before term ended last year," she said. "James whined about feeling alone while eating his breakfast and begged me to get up with him, so…"

"Aw, how sweet!" Mira teased with a smirk on her face.

Lily pushed her, nearly knocking Mira over. "Oh, shut up you," she said. "Just you wait for when you have a boyfriend! Then we'll see who's laughing!"

"It'll still be me."

"Funny, Mira."

James was waiting when they entered, a look of surprise passing over his face when he saw Mira.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, his look of surprise turning to one of concern.

Lily laughed and put her arm around his waist as James slung his arm around her shoulders. "Mira got up early today, so she'll be having breakfast with us," Lily told him.

"Oh! Excellent!" James exclaimed. "Now hurry up, or we'll miss the good stuff!"

Mira looked around, there were only a few students scattered around. She shared a look with Lily and shook her head in amusement.

As James dug into his plate of food greedily, Mira and Lily chatted about their new classes. Both had taken Astronomy as an extra, but had dropped Divination. Lily had thought the subject could prove useful, but they were mistaken. It really was a load of bollocks.

Sirius stumbled in by himself a few moments later, his uniform in a mess. His shirt was untucked, his cloak was slung over his shoulder, and his tie was hanging around his neck.

His dark, shaggy hair was in more of a state than it usually was.

He fell down at the table, across from Mira, and rested his forehead on the wooden table with a groan.

Mira chuckled. "Too early for you, Padfoot?" she asked, patting him on the head.

Sirius groaned again.

"Too much firewhiskey more like," James said with a laugh. Then he shouted, "How's your head, Pads?!"

Sirius looked up at him with a glare. "This is your fault," he told James.

James let out a bark of laughter. "My fault? Mate, we stopped after a few shots. You're the one who wanted to keep going at it."

"You could've cut me off."

"But it was too funny."

Sirius glared again before resting his head on the table.

With a shake of her head, Mira grabbed some dry toast and a black coffee. She had to poke Sirius a few times before he looked up at her.

She pushed the food under his nose. "Here, eat something."

"No, I'm not hungry…"

"Sirius, you have to eat something," she told him.

"Mira… my stomach…"

Mira frowned at him and said, "We're not leaving this table until you get some food in your system."

He gave her a dirty look before grabbing a piece of toast from her hand and shoving it in his mouth.

"Happy now, mum?" he asked sarcastically.

Mira glared right back. "You're welcome."

They ignored each other for some time after that. Sirius left the hall early as more and more students trickled in, saying that all the noise was hurting his head. Mira continued to eat breakfast and talk with Lily and James, not even offering Sirius a goodbye when he left.

Remus showed up about a half an hour before class and Peter ran in with five minutes to.

Together they left for Charms class, which they were sharing with the Hufflepuffs.

"Goodmorning class," Professor Flitwick greeted from his tall perch at the front of the room, "we will start today's lesson with a review of the previous year's work, and then move on to more challenging spellwork. It is, after all, your NEWTS year, and I remind you to behave as such."

Mira was situated between Lily and Remus as Professor Flitwick spoke, but she wasn't paying attention. She was too busy noticing that Sirius had not arrived to class.

Leaning towards Remus, she whispered, "Did you see Sirius at all when you left the dorm?"

Remus nodded. "Briefly," he told her. "He muttered something about toast and then stormed off… in the opposite direction of class, actually."

Mira rolled her eyes. Sirius was such a drama queen sometimes.

He eventually did show up, nearly halfway through class. He looked even more pissed off than he had looked at breakfast and silently took his seat on the opposite side of Remus. Sirius didn't even give her a look as he passed behind her to get to his seat.

Remus looked at her in question, but Mira just shrugged her shoulders and looked away. If Sirius wanted to act like a child over something so stupid, then he could bloody well go ahead and act like a child. It didn't affect her one bit.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mira saw Remus nudge Sirius in the side. Sirius looked up, shook his head, and then turned back to stare ahead of him.

"What happened?" Remus asked her.

Mira shrugged. "No idea," she lied.

Herbology was much the same. Even though the rest of the class was talking while Professor Greenroot was observing, Sirius was oddly quiet. Other than a few words here and there, he said nothing. The others were starting to worry. Mira, on the other hand, knew it was just him being grumpy and that he would eventually grow tired of it and stop. The hangover probably wasn't helping either.

At lunchtime, Mira went to the library to start on the essay that Flitwick had assigned them. She walked to the back of the library and after finding the book she needed, she made her way to the study area. She was surprised, however, to find one of the tables already occupied.

Sirius was sitting there, a book open in front of him, but not really reading. The frown on his face was even more prominent now, and his eyes were narrowed in a glare.

Mira walked over to him and sat down across from him.

He didn't look up at her.

She opened the book she had gotten and pulled out her Charms assignment.

"What are you doing?"

Mira looked over to him, but he still wasn't looking at her. His eyes were closed.

"I'm working," Mira told him. "That's what you do in a library, you know?"

He said nothing.

"Speaking of, what are _you_ doing here?" she asked. "The last time you were in here was two years ago and it was during detention."

Still no answer.

Mira glared at him. "Fine, be an ass."

She turned back to her work and wrote the title down on the piece of parchment.

"I'm sorry…"

She looked up. Finally, he was looking at her. His eyes were full of anger and sadness and disappointment.

"It's not your fault, Mira," he said. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just…"

He sighed and looked away.

Mira, putting down her quill, asked, "What? Sirius, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it, Mira."

Now she was angry. "Screw you, Sirius."

He looked at her in surprise, but Mira was unaffected by it. She grabbed her stuff and walked away furiously. Mira left the library, but she didn't get very far because Sirius caught up and grabbed her arm.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"I can't believe you!" Mira said. "God, Sirius! You're my best friend! I'm worried about you! And all you can bloody say is not to worry about it?! As if that is supposed to put me at ease when you've been bloody miserable all bloody morning?!"

"It doesn't concern you!"

"No, it concerns you, and, as your best friend, it therefore concerns me!" she yelled back.

Glaring at her, Sirius threw his arms up in the air. "Just forget about it, alright?! Just forget it!"

He turned to walk away and Mira pushed him. Sirius whipped around, positively furious.

"What the hell was that?!" he shouted.

"Don't you tell me to forget when you've been a bloody bastard to me all morning!" Mira shouted back.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't need this…"

He turned to walk away again and Mira yelled, "Sirius Black…!"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, MIRA!" he screamed.

Stunned, Mira did nothing as he walked down the hallway and out of sight.

**XXX**

**Please don't kill me, even though it was really, really, REALLY cruel for me to write that. **

**Hmm… so why is Sirius so angry? **

…

**No, he's not bipolar. Although that would certainly explain it.**

…

**Obviously I'm not going to tell you! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find that out. **

**The more you review, the nicer I'll be! **

**SO REVIEW!!**

**impalame**


	4. Chapter Three

**Here it is!!Chapter Three!! Yey!! **

**A special shout-out to my amazing, beautiful, smart, slightly psychotic friend, classicdisaster-x, who has been waiting FOREVER for me to write another story. She was the first reviewer for the last chapter, so there you go! Love you! 3 ;)**

**I know you all want to kill me over what happened in the last chapter. And I'm only kinda sorry. Yes, it was cruel, but I am the author and what I say goes! And I say Mira and Sirius had a fight over toast! Okay, that's not really why they were fighting, cause that would be a tiny bit of an overreaction. All in good time, my dear readers… **

**Enjoy and remember to READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**impalame**

Undeniable Attraction

Chapter Three

The saying "you never know what you have until you lose it" was really hitting home with Mira. To be completely honest, she felt lost without Sirius. She hadn't seen him since the fight and James and Remus had told her that he'd barely said a word to them either. Mira was going insane knowing that he was angry at her.

And it had only been one day since the fight.

She couldn't take much more of this.

It was their second day back at Hogwarts and Mira was miserable. She was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall at lunch time, contemplating all the ways there were to turn back time.

"He has to come to class this afternoon, right?" Lily asked, sending Mira a worried glance. "I mean, it's our first potions class of the year. He won't want to miss that."

"Lily," James said, "it's Sirius, it's potions, and it's with Slytherins."

"James… not the point…"

Remus sighed. "If only he would talk to us," he said thoughtfully. "No one has any idea why he's so angry?"

Everyone around the table shook their heads solemnly.

"I don't even remember the last time he was this angry," James said. "I mean, only when his family was bothering him, but now… I don't get it…"

"Maybe we should tell one of the teachers?" Lily suggested.

Remus shook his head. "Sirius is too personal. He won't want people to know."

"Well, then what…"

Lily trailed off and Mira followed her gaze.

He walked in, sat down, and began piling food onto his plate.

James was the first to speak. "Uh, Sirius…"

"Pass the jam, mate," Sirius said.

He was pointing at the jar in the middle of the table, right in front of Mira. Figuring it would be like a peace offering, Mira grabbed the jar and held it out to him.

Sirius stared at the jar, met eyes with her briefly, and looked away. "On second thought, I don't really feel like jam today," he said and resumed eating.

Mira felt tears prick at her eyes and she stood, hastily walking away from the table towards the doors of the hall. She heard Lily shout something at Sirius and follow after her.

"Mira! Mira, slow down!" Lily called, but Mira kept walking.

She soon found herself outside, heading towards the lake. It was a chilly afternoon, so no other students had decided to spend their time outside in the cold.

Mira was barely keeping the tears back when she stopped by the water, fell onto the ground, and hugged her knees of her chest. Soon after, Lily reached her and sat down beside her. They sat in silence for a while, as Mira let out chocked gasps of breath.

"I don't... u-understand why he's b-being so mean...," Mira said.

She felt a hand touch her arm and Lily reply, "I don't either. But it's just terrible the way he's treating you. Some friend..."

Mira looked at her, feeling a hot tear slip down her cheek. "I don't know w-what I did to h-him. What did I d-do to deserve th-this? "

"Mira! It's nothing you did!"

"T-Then w-why...?"

"Mira, listen," Lily said, grabbing her shoulders and forcing Mira to face her. "This. Is. Not. Your. Fault. Do you understand? None of this is your fault. Sirius is just being a prick."

Mira nodded, not knowing what else there was to say. Lily was probably right, but Mira still had this guilty feeling in her stomach. It felt like it was her fault. If only she could figure out what it was.

Sirius ignored her for the rest of the afternoon. He never said one word to her in class, in the halls, or at dinner. A few times she tried to make eye contact with him, but he either avoided her gaze or looked right through her.

Mira left dinner early, not bothering to give the others an excuse, though they looked at her worriedly. She didn't want to follow everyone to the common room and pretend everything was okay. She went to the library and sat in the far corner, trying to forget the last horrible two days.

This proved to be extremely difficult.

Every time she paused in her writing, her mind was invaded by thoughts of Sirius' anger. Lily had told her not to worry, that Sirius was just being a prick, and everything would blow over, but that didn't stop Mira from wondering.

Something was seriously wrong with Sirius. He had never been so furious at her before, and for no reason. There had to be an underlying problem, something that no one had picked up on yet. As far as Mira knew, it had nothing to do with any of them, not really. However, it couldn't be school; they had just gotten back.

What was it?

With a frustrated sigh, Mira snapped her potions book closed and reached for her charms text. Placing the heavy book in front of her, she flipped open the front cover.

Property of Sirius Black

Mira's first thought was how Sirius' name had ended up in her book, when she had barely spoken to him since the start of school. She realized this was illogical, and could only mean one other thing.

She turned the book over to the inside of the back cover and immediately found what she was looking for. Sirius and James hadn't paid one ounce of attention during their first charms class, and now Mira knew why. Numerous sketches and scribbled conversations littered the back cover, creating a collage of wasted ink markings.

Mira groaned. Wonderful. How was she supposed to return this when he wouldn't even talk to her?

She turned her attention back to the drawings. Little snitches were strewn across the page (James' doing), a lion for Gryffindor was drawn crudely in the center, and there was a short comic strip that involved the Marauders, Severus, and a fire-breathing dragon. There were also many scribbled conversations, like one in which James had written 'Lily Potter' over and over again until Sirius had finally ended it with 'Ha. You wish, mate'.

Mira chuckled quietly at the absurd banter until her attention was brought to a particular one. It was quite long and, judging from the array of randomness on the rest of the page, could be quite interesting.

James started the conversation.

**What are you looking at?**

_What? I'm not looking at anything._

**Yes, you were.**

_No._

**Fine. You're right. You weren't looking at anything.**

_Thank you. _

**More like drooling over...**

_I am not drooling!_

**So, who is it this week Padfoot?**

_No one. I wasn't looking at anyone. _

**Marlene McKinnon?**

_No. _

**Sandra Simmons?**

_No. _

**Agnes Leadon? **

_I was NOT looking at her!!_

**So you admit you were looking at someone.**

_Bugger off, James. _

Mira couldn't help but laugh. Even with his mouth closed, James could be annoying.

There was more though, and Mira continued reading. There must have been a break in their writing, because James was the one to talk again.

**HOLY HIPPOGRIFFS!!!**

_James, stop cursing like a first year. _

**You like her? HER?!**

_Who? _

**You know who!**

_No... that's why I'm asking. _

Another break occurred and Sirius said:

_James, stop pointing. It's rude. _

**Have you lost your bloody mind, Sirius?!**

_No. It's right here. _

**Stop trying to be cute. There are no girls around to giggle at your stupid jokes. **

_Peter would laugh. _

**Well... that's Peter. He laughs at just about everything. **

_Not true! Remember that time..._

**Don't even think about trying to change the subject. **

_What was the subject? _

Another pause. Mira assumed James was pointing again.

_What about her? _

**Do you fancy her? Be serious.**

_I am – _

**DON'T EVEN SAY IT!**

_Fine. You want to know the truth?_

**Yes! **

_I do fancy her. I have for a while. _

**Wow...**

_Yeah, I know. _

**Lily is going to kill you. **

_You can't tell Lily! No one else can know!_

**What? Not even Moony or Wormtail? **

_I don't want anyone to know. _

**I can't believe it. Sirius Black fancies – **

Mira almost screamed. How could they be so cruel as to not finish their private conversation so she couldn't read it? Now, she had no clue who Sirius liked. And it wasn't like she could just go up and ask Sirius because he wasn't talking to her and she wasn't even supposed to know that he like someone. Under other circumstances, she would just pry the information out of Remus, but apparently he didn't know either.

She sighed. She would just have to figure this out on her own then.

Who could it be? Who sits in front of him in their charms class? Everyone; he sits at the back with the other boys. Well, then who sits_ directly_ in front of him? There was herself and Lily, but neither were an option. Lily was dating James, who would've reacted more violently to Sirius' confession if that had been the case. And Mira was just... Mira. Marlene McKinnon was dating Michael Smith in Ravenclaw, and Sirius had already said no to her. Alice Greene was dating Frank Longbottom who, like James, would kill Sirius if he even looked at Alice the wrong way. And Mary McDonald was... pretty, smart, and _single_.

Sirius Black fancied Mary McDonald.

Mira nearly jumped for joy. She had figured it out! Of course, now it was so obvious. Sirius was always joking around with Mary, they both enjoyed Quidditch, and she was a Gryffindor through-and-through. How could he _not_ like her?

With this new revelation in mind, Mira quickly threw all her things into her bag and left the library. She had to tell Lily about this wonderful miracle! Maybe Sirius would stop being such a grump if he got together with Mary.

Mira was all but sprinting down the corridor towards the Common Room when she turned the corner and collided into something hard. She was sent sprawling to the ground, her book bag flying off her shoulder.

While still on the ground, Mira looked up to see what she had run into and her voice caught in her throat. Sirius stood in front of her, watching with trepidation.

"Oh, hi," she said, picking herself up.

He continued to stare at her, without saying a word.

Seeing as how she didn't expect anything else from him at the moment, Mira picked up her bag, muttered an apology for running into him, and brushed past him. She was half-way down the hall when she heard him yell her name.

"Mira, wait!"

Slowly, she turned around. He was still standing where she had left him, but he was now turned in her direction. Sirius continued to stare at her for a few moments before he finally said, "Can we talk?"

Surprised, but overwhelmingly happy, Mira nodded and followed him into an empty classroom. He locked the door after them and Mira sat on top of a desk as he paced a little in front of her.

A few minutes passed and Mira wondered if she should start first. But suddenly, he stopped and looked up at her.

"How are you?"

She laughed sardonically. "Are you serious? Wait, don't answer that..."

To her surprise, he made no attempt at the 'Serious/Sirius' joke and instead watched her with a sad face.

"It's been the worst two days of my life, how do you think I feel?"

I flinched slightly at her tone and said, "Mira, I'm so sorry. I'm an inconsiderate ass, I know that. I should be thrown off the Astronomy Tower for the way I've been treating you. Remus suggested it actually..."

She didn't laugh, so he continued.

"It was never your fault. I was just upset over something and I took it out on you, my best friend," he said. "You were right about what you said in the library yesterday; about whatever it was that was concerning me concerning you. You're my best friend Mira, and I just thought that if I didn't tell you what was going on, you wouldn't have to worry. I hate it when you worry about me; it's not fair to you."

Mira, unable to stay angry, replied, "Sirius, worrying about you is what I do. It doesn't bother me; it's kind of like my role in our group. I worry about all of you. It's my way of looking out for you guys."

Sirius nodded before reaching into his bag. He pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to her.

Mira looked from the parchment to him and asked, "What is this?"

"The reason I was so upset to begin with," he answered.

Giving him one last look, Mira opened the parchment and found that it was a letter addressed to Sirius from... oh, no.

_Dear Sirius Orion Black, _

_This is not something I take pleasure in doing, writing to you. As far as I am concerned, you are no longer a son of mine. You are a blood traitor and therefore are a waste of my time. However, your father requested that I send this to you, so that you understand the situation and behave as is expected of a Black when the time comes. _

_As you and your Muggle-loving friends are aware, the Dark Lord is becoming ever more increasingly powerful. It is important that as Purebloods, we form strong alliances that will benefit Him and future generations. And that, regrettably, includes you. _

_At your birth, your father and I came into contact with another prestigious Pureblood family, who felt that they shared the duty to force the continuation of a clean Pureblood line. Therefore, I find it my duty to inform you of your betrothal to their daughter. _

_Upon your graduation of Hogwarts, you will marry and redeem yourself as a proud and noble descendent of the House of Black. You will do as is expected of your name. _

_Sincerely,_

_Walburga Black_

Mira suddenly understood everything: how his attitude had changed so unexpectedly, why Sirius had been drinking so heavily the night before, and why he had snapped at her when she called him Sirius _Black_.

"Marriage? She's kidding, right?" Mira asked, shocked by what she had just read.

Sirius sighed. "Unfortunately, the old hag was never one for jokes."

Mira glanced at the letter. "But you moved out," she said to him. "You don't have to do this. They don't control you anymore."

He looked at her. "With any luck, it'll be that simple. But Mira, my parents are so deep into the Dark Arts that it honestly wouldn't surprise me if there was an Unbreakable Vow involved."

"We'll get you out of this," Mira said. "Promise."

With a genuine smile, Sirius said, "Thank you."

Mira smiled back at him and she suddenly remembered the revelation she'd had in the library.

"Since we're being honest with each other," she said while reaching into her bag, "I thought that I should..."

She pulled the book out and flipped to the back before handing it to Sirius. He took it, took one look at the back, and his eyes widened.

"I can explain..."

"Sirius, it's okay," she said with a comforting smile, "I know."

A look of surprise and fear flashed over his face. "You do?" he asked.

Mira nodded.

He looked at her expectantly. "And?"

Mira grinned and replied, "I think it's great!"

Mira watched as relief washed over him. It looked like a huge weight was taken off his chest and he could breathe again.

"Oh, thank Merlin," he said with a huge grin, "I was so worried that you would freak out if you knew."

"Why would I freak out? I love you, Sirius."

Mira smiled wider as Sirius' smile grew. He looked so happy that he could kiss her.

"And Mary is such a sweet girl. You two are perfect for each other."

The smile slipped slightly. "Wait, what?" he asked, suddenly very confused.

Mira slid off the desk and moved closer to him, saying, "Well, you are! I mean, you're both into Quidditch and whenever we're with Mary in Hogsmeade she always wants to go into Zonko's..."

"What's your point?"

"Sirius," she said, "I'm just so happy that you've finally found a nice girl that you can have a real relationship with. That's all I've ever wanted for you."

"That's all you've ever wanted?"

Instead of answering, Mira stepped into him and wrapped her arms around in a warm hug. It took him a moment, but Sirius soon hugged her back, holding her tightly against him.

Everything was finally back to normal.

Almost.

**XXX**

**Yey, they made up! And many questions have been answered, but naturally, many new questions have come up. You'll all just have to wait for the next chapter! **

**AND PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**impalame **


	5. Chapter Four

**Hey everyone! I'm back (finally)! I know, I'm terrible. You'll all have an oppourtunity to throw stuff at me a little while later, I promise. **

**Anyways, hoorah for chapter four! Woohoo!**

**A special thanks to Claira Rose, who reviewed first EONS AGO. THANKS CLAIRA ROSE! : )**

**Also, thanks to KLB47 and coloring! You guys are awesome!**

**Alrighty, on to the new chapter...**

**impalame**

Undeniable Attraction

Chapter Four

It had been about two weeks since Mira and Sirius had had their little talk, and Mira was happy that things were starting to go back to normal. Sirius became his usual self: pigging out at mealtimes, talking to her in class until the professor scolded him, and generally being loud and obnoxious. Yes, everything was going back to normal.

Well, almost.

Mira, Lily, James, and Remus were all crowded around the fire in the common room, working on multiple assignments. They were working away in silence until someone came barrelling through the portrait hole. With a giant smile on her face, Mary McDonald spotted them and ran over, nearly tackling Lily as she hugged her.

Mira, James, and Remus gave each other amused looks as Lily asked, "What's gotten you into such a mood?"

"He asked me! He asked me!" Mary cried, leaving Lily to hug Mira.

"Who asked you what?" James asked.

Mary stood back and exclaimed, "Sirius Black asked me out!"

Mira grinned and stood up to hug Mary. "Oh, Mary, that's so great!"

"Sirius asked you out?" James questioned, his face confused.

Mary nodded frantically. "He told me that he's fancied me for a while now, but he didn't want to say anything because he didn't know how I felt about him," she replied, "which is ridiculous, of course!"

Just then, Sirius himself walked into the common room. He saw them, smiled, and walked over. He wrapped his arm around Mary's waist and kissed her cheek, which caused Mira to smile even more. They were so cute together!

"So, Mary's told you all the good news, then?" he said.

Mira nodded. "We're all so happy for you two!"

James stood and said, "Sirius, can I talk to you for a minute?"

The two boys walked away to a far corner of the common room, and Remus stood while gathering his things.

"Well, I have to go meet Peter in the library. I'll see you all later," he said. He'd almost left the common room when he turned and added, "Congratulations Mary."

He left and Mary sighed happily as she sat down between Mira and Lily. "Sirius is so sweet," she told them. "When he asked me, he looked so hesitant. Almost like he thought it was a bad idea to ask me; he must have been so nervous about what I would say."

"Mary, are you sure this is a good idea?" Lily asked delicately.

"Lily!" Mira argued. "What are you saying?"

Lily looked at Mary, who looked slightly hurt. "It's just... we all know how Sirius is. I just don't want you to get hurt, Mary," Lily said.

"I think this is different," Mira replied, "Sirius really cares about you, Mary."

"How do you know that?" Lily asked suspiciously.

Mira faltered. "It... might have... come up in conversation..."

Mary squealed and hugged her tightly.

Mira was trying to extract herself from Mary's death-grip when Sirius and James came back over. Sirius was smiling, but James carried a frown on his face. Mira wondered why that was, but decided that if he wanted her to know, he would tell her himself.

"We'd all better get going to class if we don't want to be late," Lily said, taking James' hand and standing up.

Mira got up after them and smiled as Mary grabbed Sirius' hand and pulled him towards the portrait hole. She followed Lily and James, the latter who was still wearing a frown, out of the common room.

The seating arrangement was switched up in Defense class. Normally James and Sirius sat together, then Remus and Peter, and then Lily and herself. But today, Sirius wanted to sit beside Mary. So, they sat next to each other in the back, then Lily and James, then Remus and Mira. Peter hadn't shown up to class.

This, however, was not the only unusual thing that happened in class. About half-way through, there was a knock on the door and Professor McGonagall appeared.

"Professor O'Donnell? Pardon the interruption, could you excuse Miss Evans and Miss Johnson?"

Mira turned around to look at Lily, who shrugged while wearing a similar confused look on her face. They got up and followed Professor McGonagall out of the class. Their Head of House didn't say a word until they reached her office.

"Please, have a seat," she said; Mira and Lily sat.

"Whatever you've been told Professor, I can assure you that we had nothing to do with it," Lily said quickly. "Perhaps ask James..."

Mira almost laughed. How pleased would James be to hear that his girlfriend was selling him out just to save her good record?

"Miss Evans, you and Miss Johnson are not here under interrogation circumstances," McGonagall said.

Lily flushed red. "Oh."

Mira hid her smile behind her hand.

Professor McGonagall continued, her glasses perched on the very tip of her nose. "As you are likely well aware, Hogwarts does not often get new students beyond the first years," she began. "However, it does happen occasionally and we are always fully prepared for the new student's arrival."

Mira glanced at Lily, who shared the same questioning look. Neither had any idea where McGonagall was going with this.

"We will be receiving a new student tomorrow and as two of our top students, I would hope that you would agree to welcoming her into our school."

Lily jumped. "Of course Professor, we'd love to!"

Professor McGonagall looked at Mira next. Mira nodded with a smile; Lily had already volunteered her anyway.

"Very well," McGonagall said, pleased. "Her name is Iseult O'Leary and she's transferring from St. Patrick's Academy of Witchcraft in Ireland. She will be joining your year as well as the Gryffindor house. I hope you make her feel welcome."

XXX

"A new student? This hasn't happened in years," Remus commented.

"I've certainly never heard of it," Lily answered, "but we're to make her feel as comfortable here as we possibly can."

"Should be easy," Sirius said as he lounged back on one of the couches in the common room. "Who doesn't love us?"

Mira looked at him. "The Slytherins?"

"Do you just always have to be right?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Children...," Remus warned.

James smiled. "I, for one, can't wait," he said. "The Irish are great! Hey Pads, you think she's related to Dennis O'Leary, the famous Keeper?"

Mira laughed. "Why? Want and autograph, Prongs?" He glared at her, slightly embarrassed, before she continued, "Besides, the German Keeper, Vanderveer, has a higher save-to-shot average than O'Leary could ever dream of!"

Beside her, Lily groaned. "You really just started this conversation, didn't you?"

Mira grinned at her. Hopefully, the new girl would be able to handle this.

XXX

Mira and Lily didn't have to go to first class the next day because they were waiting on the new girl, but James and Sirius sulked and complained all the way to Potions. After the boys had gone to class, Mira and Lily made their way to the Great Hall, where they were to greet the new student.

When Mira entered the Great Hall, she found that Professor McGonagall standing with a girl, who Mira assumed to be Iseult.

The first thought that went through her head was that this girl was gorgeous. Iseult was tall and thin, with pale, creamy skin dotted with light freckles. Long red hair (much like Lily's) flowed around her face, curling towards the ends. She stood perfectly poised, her elegant posture accentuating her grace.

Mira and Lily drew closer and Mira got a better look at the girl's face. Dark chocolate eyes were framed by thick eyelashes, and a perfect nose and pouty lips completed her face. Iseult gave them an enchanting smile as they approached.

Professor McGonagall, who was actually smiling, nodded to the girls. "Miss Evans, Miss Johnson, this is Miss Iseult O'Leary," she said.

Iseult extended a dainty hand towards Mira. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with her wispy accent. As she turned to Lily she said, "Please, call me Izzy."

"Miss O'Leary," Professor McGonagall said, "Miss Evans and Miss Johnson will show you around the school and then you'll follow them to your next class. Here is your timetable."

Iseult, or Izzy, accepted the parchment with a smile. Professor McGonagall left them, and Lily immediately took charge.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said with a smile. "My name is Lily Evans, this is Mira Johnson. We're both Gryffindors. You'll be in the same dorms as us."

"Oh, good," Izzy said. "Least I'll know someone."

Mira smiled at her. "You'll love it here soon enough," she said.

Mira and Lily gave Izzy a brief tour of the castle (naturally they couldn't show her _everything_ in the short time period) before they headed to charms class. They arrived early and waited outside the classroom door.

In the very short time that she had known her, Mira found Izzy to be a wonderful person. She was very sweet and had a gentle, carefree attitude. Izzy always wore a smile and listened attentively to everything that they said, asking polite questions only when she was certain they were finished.

Mira desperately hoped meeting the Marauders wouldn't scare the poor girl away.

"Now, you're about to meet our other friends, and I warn you they may seem a little... odd," Mira said.

Izzy smiled. "If they're your friends then must be good people," she said.

Suddenly, the Marauders (plus Mary) came around the corner. Upon spotting them, James ran over and kissed Lily on the cheek.

"Potions was just terrible without you. They made me sit next to Padfoot," he said.

"Hey!"

The others came into the conversation, Sirius looking upset at James' comment.

He frowned and said, "I was doing you a favour since your girlfriend wasn't there!"

James just grinned back. "Yeah, well..."

Mira shook her head and turned to her new friend. "Izzy, this is James Potter, Lily's boyfriend. This here is Remus Lupin, there's Peter Pettigrew, this is Mary McDonald, and finally, this is-"

"Sirius Black, at your service madam!" he announced with a sweeping bow.

Mira rolled her eyes, but not before noticing Mary glare slightly at Izzy.

Izzy looked startled, her eyes going slightly wide as she watched Sirius. "Um, hello everyone," she said, suddenly uncertain, "it's a pleasure to meet you all."

Before anything else was said, the door opened and tiny Professor Flitwick poked his head out.

"Come in! Come in!" he squeaked, pushing the door wide with unusual strength for a man his size.

Mary grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him inside quickly, followed by Lily and James, and Remus and Peter. Mira turned to Izzy, who looked very nervous suddenly.

"C'mon, you can sit next to me," Mira offered with a smile.

Izzy gave her a weak smile in return and as they entered the classroom, Mira wondered where the poised and perfect Iseult O'Leary had suddenly gone.

XXX

Mira and Lily, along with the others, guided Izzy through the rest of the day. She was introduced to many more people, and for the most part, she seemed to settle in well.

"Was it something I said?" Sirius whispered to her; Mira shrugged, not knowing the answer herself.

Ever since their introduction, Izzy had avoided Sirius like the plague. She was certain that she, and now Sirius, were the only ones who noticed. But it was there: she turned away from him slightly, never met his eyes, and whenever he spoke, she adopted a silent and distant look.

"I don't know," Mira whispered back, "maybe your extravagant introduction frightened her a little?"

"I was only kidding around!"

She sighed. "I know that, maybe she doesn't."

"Well, either way, I think I'm going to talk to her about it," he said.

Mira nodded. "That's a good idea, just make sure you tell Mary first."

"Why?" Sirius asked, looking confused.

"Because she looked a little jealous," Mira answered.

"Of what?"

"Of Izzy! Don't exactly blame her; I mean, look at her, she's beautiful," Mira said, looking over to her friend who was chatting with James (he was still questioning her about her relation to Dennis O'Leary).

Sirius followed her gaze and shrugged. "She's okay."

Mira gaped. "'Okay'?" Then she laughed a little. "You must really be into Mary. I haven't even seen you so much as look at another girl."

"Yeah... I guess I only have eyes for one now."

With a smile, Mira patted his arm and said, "Oh, that's sweet."

He gave her a small smile in return before looking back over at Izzy. "I'll talk to her after everyone goes to bed, I suppose," he said, sounding somewhat reluctant.

"Good," Mira said. Then she grabbed his arm. "C'mon. You distract James while I save Izzy."

Sirius nodded and went with her over to the other two. James was leaning towards Izzy intently, his elbows resting on his knees as he sat on the edge of the chair. Izzy, on the other hand, was sitting with a perfect posture while at the same time trying to edge away from James.

James voice became clearer as they approached. "Maybe a second cousin once removed...?"

"Oi! Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder. "You owe me a game of Exploding Snap, you bloody cheater."

James rolled his eyes and looked irritated at being interrupted. "For the last time, Sirius, I didn't cheat," he insisted.

"There's no way you could've beat me unless you did."

Mira tapped Izzy on her shoulder and nodded in the direction of the portrait hole, pulling her away from the volitile arguement that was about to ensue. Izzy, looking grateful, followed behind Mira.

It was nearly curfew, so Mira knew that they couldn't go on a very long walk, but she led Izzy quite a ways down the hall to an unoccupied bench. They sat down, Izzy with her perfect posture and Mira with her comfortable slouch, and started chatting about Izzy's first day.

"Everyone was so wonderful and very welcoming," Izzy told Mira with a smile. "You'd never believe how nervous I was this morning when I arrived."

Mira laughed lightly. "Yes, it all seems very intimidating. I can still remember my first day; I was absolutely horrified."

Izzy gave a tinkling little laugh that was almost musical. Mira gave it until the next day for boys to be throwing themselves at her feet.

"Can I ask you a question?" Mira asked.

"Of course!" Izzy answered happily.

"Why did you transfer to Hogwarts, in your final year and all?"

Izzy suddenly went very quiet and Mira inwardly cringed. She hadn't aticipated that the subject would be a delicate one, and now she felt like an idiot for bringing it up.

"Oh, Izzy... I'm sorry," she apologized. "Forget I asked..."

"No, it's alright," Izzy said slowly. Then she looked at Mira with a small smile and said, "You're my friend. Friends should tell each other things like this."

Mira returned the small smile and waited for Izzy to speak again, which took a few moments.

"My family," Izzy began, "is very well known in Ireland. We're very wealthy and prominent in the Pureblood society."

Mira stopped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sweet, quiet Izzy... was a Pureblood supporter?

Izzy saw the look on Mira's face and started. "No! No! I don't believe in that rubish!" she exclaimed, trying to calm Mira's concerns. "Though my parents do, sadly."

Mira relaxed a little. She couldn't help but believe the sincere and desperate look on Izzy's face. She also couldn't ignore the fact that Izzy had been sorted into Gryffindor, not Slytherin. Her story also sounded very familiar to Mira...

"Anyways," Izzy continued. "Last summer, my parents gave me some news..."

"What news?" Mira asked.

Izzy hesitated, as though it was a physical struggle to give the answer. Finally, she said, "That I was betrothed to be married after school ended."

Silence echoed down the hall. Mira's mind went into overdrive, and she prayed that her conclusion was incorrect. It couldn't be possible.

"Izzy...," Mira started.

"Yes?" the girl replied sadly.

Mira took a deep breath. "Who is it that you're betrothed too?"

Izzy looked at the ground for a moment, as though suddenly uncomfortable talking. But still, she answered Mira's question, albit very quietly.

"Sirius Black."


End file.
